Erehwemos
Well-Known Member
How do you deal with people who always feel the need to impart their 'wealth of knowledge' to you?
I shouldnt allow myself to get so stressed, but this is really getting to me. Yesterday I took my girl in the school for the first time since being at the yard - she has not been schooled for over a year, and had not been out of her box (either ridden or in the field) for two weeks. Quite predictably, Elz spent the first ten minutes ricocheting from one side of the school to the other, shying, spooking and bucking
I had fully expected this - it was the main reason I had decided to take her in the school rather than hack, as I knew she needed to let her back down somehow and the fields are all too wet for a canter at the moment. Anyway, for obvious reasons I wasnt even trying to get her to 'work' properly; she has had a lot of time off for injury and even more time off because I have been working so much, so her fitness and suppleness will undoubtedly be at an all time low. We were literally just going through the motions - walk, trot, canter just to get her back down, then some stretching and a few transitions.
My OH was watching me, and someone from the yard went up to him and started telling him everything I was doing wrong - how my shoulders were too tense, how my hands were too low, how I was setting myself and forcing Ellie to tense up and fight me, how she was tight through her back and not moving forward...etc, etc. OH (thankfully!) replied that the horse has not been out of her box for a fortnight and has not been worked properly for a year, at which point she moved away. I was cross about this, but seeing as it hadnt been said to my face, I let it go.
Then today, whilst I was emptying my barrow, she went up to my mum and started relaying the entire episode - 'I saw your two schooling yesterday, they really looked very tense, she really needs to loosen up....' etc, etc. If I was cross before, I am absolutely LIVID now
How dare she go to my mother and tittle tattle? If I had been beating the life out of my horse, or riding her into the ground then I might, just MIGHT understand someone feeling the need to express a concern, but this was just plain old busybodying, and I hate it. How is the best way to deal with it? At the moment, I've been left feeling like I cant take my own horse up to the school unless no one else is around, for fear of having my riding ripped to shreds. Don't get me wrong, she is the only person who has done it (and I know for certain she does it to everyone, both in the saddle and out) but that doesnt make me feel any better. I normally get on very well with this person and just accept that she likes to try to tell everyone how to do everything, but when it comes to my riding, I'm underconfident as it is - I dont need someone else coming along uninvited and telling me how crap I look
What do I do? There is bound to be a 'next time', so how do I reply if she says anything?
I shouldnt allow myself to get so stressed, but this is really getting to me. Yesterday I took my girl in the school for the first time since being at the yard - she has not been schooled for over a year, and had not been out of her box (either ridden or in the field) for two weeks. Quite predictably, Elz spent the first ten minutes ricocheting from one side of the school to the other, shying, spooking and bucking
My OH was watching me, and someone from the yard went up to him and started telling him everything I was doing wrong - how my shoulders were too tense, how my hands were too low, how I was setting myself and forcing Ellie to tense up and fight me, how she was tight through her back and not moving forward...etc, etc. OH (thankfully!) replied that the horse has not been out of her box for a fortnight and has not been worked properly for a year, at which point she moved away. I was cross about this, but seeing as it hadnt been said to my face, I let it go.
Then today, whilst I was emptying my barrow, she went up to my mum and started relaying the entire episode - 'I saw your two schooling yesterday, they really looked very tense, she really needs to loosen up....' etc, etc. If I was cross before, I am absolutely LIVID now
What do I do? There is bound to be a 'next time', so how do I reply if she says anything?
They didn't do it again though! But i've now realised it can be down to jealousy particularly from the other teens lol, so maybe this lady likes the look of your horse